Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

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Rutgers has lost starting sophomore LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams for a season following a non-contact ACL injury.

Maddox-Williams started six games for Rutgers last year on the strong side and drew on freshman lists. The expectations are low for Rutgers, and this weakens their most veteran and possibly most talented position group.

Flacco (6'0/201) played his high school ball in Vorhees, New Jersey, making this a homecoming of sorts. During his two years at Western Michigan, he appeared in 13 games while playing in a backup role behind Zach Terrell. Flacco will have to sit out the coming campaign to satisfy NCAA transfer regulations and will have two years eligibility remaining starting in 2018. Flacco is the younger brother of Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco.

Turner (6'1/185) was not expected to make his final decision until this fall, but he visited Rutgers over the weekend and then opted to make the early plunge. The speedster has played on both sides of the ball in high school, but his highest upside comes at receiver.

Grant suffered a season ending right ankle back in September of 2016 and applied for a medical redshirt in the hopes playing in 2017. After a limited spring, Grant will be out on the field and might be the Knights' top player.

"The coaching staff, I have a great relationship with them. My class that is coming in, I feel like we can be a big help to the program," Woods said. Scout.com ranks the 6-foot-1, 165-pounder as the No. 19 receiver in the East region, with outlet analyst Brian Dohn noting that he "can get off the line of scrimmage and into his route at the high school level, but he will need to be stronger to beat jams and be able to hand fight down the field for the ball against college cornerbacks."

Pacheco (5'10/192) plays quarterback at Vineland Senior High School South (New Jersey), but projects as a running back for the collegiate level. Scout.com's Brian Dohn writes that he "has quick feet, accelerates well and runs with balance." The analyst does not believe it will take much work for Pacheco -- the outlet's No. 9 running back recruit in the East region -- to get up to speed once he officially moves from quarterback.

"He will need to add strength to play the position at the college level, but once he gets there he can be dominant," writes Scout.com's Brian Dohn, who adds that the 6-foot-3, 195-pounder "possesses great burst." Lacewell ranks as the outlet's No. 254 overall prospect for the 2018 cycle. He opted for Rutgers over offers from Indiana, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Maryland, among others.

Rutgers junior LB Ronnie James has retired due to concussion concerns.

"I was recently given bad news that I can no longer play football," James wrote on social media. "It's not sit out a year and try again or anything of the sort. I have suffered from too many concussions to play the sport that I love." The 6-foot, 215-pounder -- a three-star recruit out of high school -- began his career as a cornerback before shifting to linebacker. He ultimately appeared in eight games during his career with the Scarlet Knights. Per NJ.com's Ryan Dunleavy, James will be able to stay on scholarship with a medical redshirt as he finishes up his education.

Allen tore his ACL in drill work during the Scarlet Knights' final week of spring practice. Rather than undergo surgery, he will rehab the knee with the hope of being able to return to the fray after the start of the 2017 season. Said HC Chris Ash, "We want Zach to do what's best for him." The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder transferred over from TCU last summer. He saw the field in two games during the past campaign, completing just 1-of-12 passes in his limited playing time.

Rutgers redshirt senior WR Janarion Grant (ankle) will not take part in the team's spring game on Saturday.

Grant has been working individual drills and running routes this spring, but he has not been participating in 11-on-11 play. The dynamic 5-foot-10, 180-pounder continues to work his way back from a broken ankle suffered four games into the 2016 campaign. "I'm really focusing on my flexibility and pain tolerance to see how hard I can go with whatever I'm doing, whether it be with wide receiver individual drills or just catching balls," Grant said of his spring. The redshirt senior recorded 1,935 total yards between receptions, rushing and returns during a healthy 2015 campaign.

The Arizona Cardinals will host Rutgers WR Carlton Agudosi for a private workout on April 23.

Agudosi previously attended the local prospect days of the Jets and Giants. The 6-foot-5, 217-pounder has an ideal frame but is lacking in athleticism and production. He ran a 4.61s forty at his pro day workout and caught only 35 balls over his entire collegiate career.

Rutgers dismissed sophomore QB Tylin Oden for a violation of team rules.

No further explanation for Oden's boot from the team was given. A three-star dual-threat recruit for the 2016 cycle, the 6-foot-5, 192-pounder appeared in six games this past season, rushing for 144 yards on 39 carries in that space. He did far less in the passing game, attempting just eight tosses. Oden was expected to be a factor in the quarterbacking competition this offseason, but his departure does not rock the boat much, as Giovanni Rescigno remains the favorite to win the 2017 starting gig.

The injury was apparently suffered on a non-contact play. The hope here is that Mitchell, a Michigan transfer who sat out the 2016 season due to NCAA regulations, will be able to take the field at some point during the 2017 campaign. That is far from a given, though, and there is no timetable for the 6-foot-3, 206-pounder's return at this early juncture. His availability for the coming campaign should receive more clarity as he spends the summer recovering. Mitchell was a four-star recruit for the 2016 cycle.

Grant is being limited to running straight-line routes and fielding punts, as Rutgers won't be pushing him this spring, not after he broke his ankle in the fourth game of the 2016 season and missed the rest of the subsequent campaign. Said HC Chris Ash, "The fact that he can get out and do anything right now, with running some routes and catching some balls, is a benefit to him and to us...We're not going to put him in position to get injured." During a healthy 2015 season, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Swiss Army Knife accumulated 1,935 yards between returns, receiving and rushing.